LeBron's historic night keeps Cavs' locker room champagne-free
It was a play more suited for an All-Star Game than a Finals elimination game, but once you heard LeBron James’ explanation it made sense.
“I got caught in the air,” James said of his stunning third quarter dunk. “So that’s the only thing I could think of. I didn’t want to travel, and Draymond (Green) was kind of playing Double-T (Tristan Thompson), and Double-T kind of had his back towards me, so I just threw it off the glass and went and got it.”
Down 3-0 in the NBA Finals and facing the prospect of being swept on the game’s biggest stage for the second time in his career, James tossed the ball off the backboard, waltzed through an empty lane, rose up and dunked the ball with both hands over a helpless Kevin Durant. They were two of the most audacious points James has scored in his illustrious Finals career.
James, whose Cavs staved off elimination in a wild 137-116 Game 4 win over the Golden State Warriors, finished with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, breaking a tie with Magic Johnson for the most Finals triple-doubles of all-time. James, who has averaged a triple-double throughout the first four games, also moved past Michael Jordan into third place on the all-time Finals scoring list, finishing Friday night with 1,206 points.
Given his individual numbers and the deficit the Cavs faced entering Game 4, it was obvious James needed more from his teammates. He got it in the form of 40 points from Kyrie Irving, 23 from Kevin Love and a relentless physical effort from Tristan Thompson, who had struggled to make an impact with the Warriors walling him off the boards.
James undoubtedly got help, but there was also pride at stake. A loss would’ve meant the Warriors could leave the Cavs’ visiting locker room smelling of champagne, like they did in 2015.
“I didn’t hear (the comments),” James said,” But some of the other guys heard it and told me that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms. And I think it came from Draymond, which is okay, that’s Dray anyway.”
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Green had said earlier it would be particularly satisfying winning in front of Cavs fans following last year’s Finals collapse.
James wasn’t about to let that happen. He hit several clutch three-pointers, capitalized on transition opportunities and facilitated in a manner that complemented his co-star Irving. About the only blemish was his six-for-10 free throw shooting.
“The reason we didn’t hit 50 (in the first quarter) was because I can’t shoot a free throw,” James said. “But I’ll be better in Game 5.”
Though the optics are similar to last year’s Finals, James lamented the Cavs’ current position.
“They got us where they want us,” James said.
And as for rising to the occasion when facing elimination? He’d prefer not to make a habit of it.
“It causes too much stress, man. I’m stressed out. Keep doing this every year," James said. "But listen, at the end of the day, we just got some resilient guys. The Warriors have championship DNA, and we do as well.”
Source:- https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/06/10/lebrons-historic-night-keeps-cavs-locker-room-champagne-free/102699452/
